Axxam and Lonza Announce the Signing of a License Agreement for the Use of Axxam’s Photoproteins in Lonza’s Calcium Biosensors

Axxam announced its participation in a consortium that has been awarded a grant of EUR 1.5 million by the Regione Lombardia (Metadistretti), covering 3/5 of the total project costs of EUR 2.5 million. This innovative research program is aimed at identifying selective inhibitors for ghrelin O-acyltransferase (GOAT), a very recently identified key enzyme regulating the food intake of a fat-rich diet, thus offering an excellent entry point for the treatment of metabolic diseases.

The grant, which is non-refundable and will cover R&D expenses over a 36 month period, is intended to accelerate the development of innovative technologies and products in the local non-food biotechnology cluster (metadistretto). Funds are awarded on the basis of the scientific, technical and economic merit of each proposal.
The consortium is led by CISI scrl, a non-profit pharma research company, and also includes Primm srl, a service company for several technology platforms. Axxam will provide its drug discovery platforms, including bio assay development, proprietary HTS technologies and screening compound collections. CISI will contribute with its resources and expertise in medicinal and bioanalytical chemistry, while Primm will provide specific expertise in protein expression and peptide chemistry.
This substantial financing from the Regione Lombardia provides important support to Axxam’s business strategy in generating lead compounds for targets associated with high medical needs.